


Distant only in centimeters

by TheDeadAreWalking



Category: Jacksepticeye (RPF), Markiplier (RPF)
Genre: Angst, M/M, Missed Chances, pinning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-10-16
Packaged: 2018-08-22 19:42:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8298088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDeadAreWalking/pseuds/TheDeadAreWalking
Summary: Close but not close enough





	

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy

"SEAN McLOUGHLIN! I have had just about enough of this nonsense!"

Mark watched as the small boy in the front of the class got reprimanded by the teacher for the fourth time that day. The teacher just wasn't having any of it. This time, she was yelling  because the boy was tapping his pencil on the desk. Mark didn't think the boy was that bad. He'd just never talked to him.

He was new this year and Irish. He sorta talked funny and 1st grade was scary so Mark didn't try and reach out to him and make new friends. Maybe he would eventually try but right now he was really focusing on his subtraction problems.

-

"That's it, young man! I have had just about enough of you! Collect your items and switch seats with," Mark watched the teachers eyes scan the room before landing on the girl in front of him, "Missy!" she shouted.

Mark and the rest of the class watched as Sean collected all his stuff and moved to sit in the now empty seat in front of Mark. Mark went back to coloring the triangles and squares on the handout like everyone. Mark started to feel bad for the boy in front of him. He never seemed to do anything really bad, the teacher just didn't like him. The boy lifted his head to stare at the head of brown hair in front, he had his head down. He wasn't even doing his work.

Mark opened his mouth to say something but decided he didn't want to get on the teacher bad side also, so he didn't.

-

Mark walked out to middle school garden, he had signed up for Green Club his second year of middle school. It wasn't the most exciting club he could have joined but it was secluded and gave him a chance to be alone.

He enjoyed picking the couple weeds that grew through the week, tending to plants and heckling the soil pH level. He was usually the only one outside the school for the last period of school. He was supposed to actually have a teacher with him but she had noticed pretty quickly he wasn't going to anything so she let him out alone so she could stay in the cool room watching cat videos. He didn't care.

Mark wiped the sweat from his brow and tossed the last weed into the bucket by him when he heard the doors a little down from him open. He watched as a group of boys walked out. He didn't personally know any of them but he knew of them, they were, for a lack of a better word, the trouble makers. Mark made a point of staying away from them.

He kept his eyes down and only looked up again when he heard them say something, "Look, McLoughlin, either do it or you can't hang with us."

Mark watched as they parted slightly, he could see Sean in the middle of them looking scared and uncomfortable. The tallest of the group was holding up something that looked like a cigarette but homemade.

Mark knew he should say something, knew he should get a teacher, knew he should do something. Anything. But instead, he just stayed where he was and silently watched as Sean took the thing and breathed it in. He started coughing and everyone in the group started cheering. They started to pass the cigarette around and soon decided to head back in. Mark was sure no one saw him from his little garden. That is until the last of them was heading in and Sean turned looked at him sadly.

Mark knew he didn't do something right.

-

"Mark, you'll be working with Jack."

Mark felt the floor drop out from under him. He had taken general science because he only needed one more science credit to graduate, he hadn't thought about what kind of people also took general classes. _Those kind_ of people included Sean "Jack" McLouglin.

Mark looked up slowly and scanned the room looking for the green haired Irish boy. He found him finally, he was already collecting his items and moving to sit at Mark's lab table, "Remember these will be your partners for the whole year so don't cause any issues."

Mark internally groaned, just his luck. Mark remained silent as Jack, and a couple other students moved to sit with their lab partner. Mark glanced at the boy out of the corner of his eye. He looked so unlike the scared boy he had seen in middle school or the cute kid that sat by him in elementary. Mark felt his stomach churn with something close to guilt, he always felt like this when the thought of the druggy kid.

Mark could see Jack openly staring at him and felt himself burn up. This wasn't right, he didn't cause this. Mark stood up right in the middle of the teacher's speech. The whole class turned to him, "I want to go to guidance."

The teacher crooked an eyebrow but nodded holding his hand out for his passbook. Mark fished it out of his bag and handed it to her. She signed off and he quickly darted out of the class. Taking a CP science was still easier than AP.

This switch had nothing to do with Jack. Nothing to do with his pathetic guilt. This was purely because it would look good on a college application.

-

Mark had decided to walk to work today, he's not sure what made him want to but he felt giddy and it really wasn't that long of a walk.

The dark haired man took a deep breath of the cool morning air and tucked his hands deeper in his pockets, the morning air still a little chilly.

He was watching a couple birds across the street and wasn't paying attention to where he was walking and suddenly he slammed fully into another body. His feel straight back on his ass and cringed, that wasn't good for the old tailbone. Mark looked up ready to apologize but the words died on his lips.

Jack stared back at Mark equally surprised to see him but also with something that looked like resentment. Mark took in the man's appearance, he had seen better days. If Mark didn't know better he would mistake him for a homeless man. Actually, he was sure he was homeless.

Mark felt words build up inside him. An apology, an invitation, a thanks, something and everything he had wanted to say for years but said none of it. Jack looked at him. Almost like he too was expecting something. Mark wanted to invite him home, help him off his feet. Do something.

Instead, he didn't and Jack scoffed stomping past him, "Watch where you're going."

Mark stayed on the ground for longer than a normal person would.

He failed again.

-

Mark was sitting on his couch and scrolling through his Facebook feed. He knew no one really used Facebook anymore but he likes to keep touch with everyone.

He was currently looking at a picture his mom had shared of flowers when he was alerted to a new post in the group he joined for his graduating class.

Without much thought, he clicked it expecting someone else to be bragging about getting married or having their fourth kid. Instead, he felt himself grow cold as he read the post over and over.

He had failed.

Every single thing he should have done and maybe in another life would have done came crashing back to him.

He felt tears well in eyes, he didn't deserve them. He had never even spoken to him.

Never done a thing.

Mark closed the laptop and slid it off his lap. He moved to stand up but sat down again when he realized he had nowhere to go.

After staring into the room for so long he felt himself fall into a restless sleep. He dreamt of a better life. A life where he spoke up to the funny kid in elementary, where he stopped Sean from taking that damn joint, where he had stayed in the class and they became friends and he didn't run away, where he helped a man on the street he ran into.

None of these things happened.

They had always come close but never together, even if the distance was in centimeters.

_"Hey, guys do you remember that kid in our class named Sean? He usually went by Jack and dropped off the map as soon as we graduated? Anyway, police found his remains stashed behind the dumpster on East Summer Drive. Apparently, he's been homeless for a couple months and someone thought he was going to hurt them :( it's very sad. Like to show that he will always be in your thoughts and prayers. Comment your fondest memories of him."_

**5 Likes 1 Comment**

_"JUST GOT MY NAILS DONE FOR MY WEDDING! HOPE TO SEE ALL MY OLD BESTIES THERE!"_

**167 Likes 56 Comments**

**Author's Note:**

> So whats good?


End file.
